March 2, 2011

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Recently, my mind has been filled with thoughts of lies. Not as bad has it sounds, but more of what we listen to that cuts us from God. We are cut off not becuase of Gods displeasure with us but becuase we stop listening and stop looking for His open arms. I am convinced that this breaks his heart. If we , corrupt people, are hurt when some one stops calling or trying to spend time with us then think of what God feels. He begs through out scripture for a communion and a relationship with us. The amazing thing about it is that God strives for us, seeks us. The bible explains it has a lover chasing after his love. This is the God we follow, we worship. and the one that we are to listen to. He combats these lies with his own character. God’s own personalty is the defense against lies. Each of his name shows how we can trust him and how he provides regardless of the circumstance. One of the best studies I have seen is the study om Bible.org. They do a great job.

February 15, 2011

Honestly I am not sure what to do. God has given me the ability to give advice and listen. I am very interested in studying theology, doctrine and the bible. These are things God has given me the ability to do. But these are the limits of my knowledge and wisdom. I am horrible on making decisions that could really alter my life. I am faced with a decisions and I am not sure what to do. I feel dragged into one decision but yet another door keeps opening. My simple prayer is to do God’s will. I ask for nothing else. I pray that I hear his will and I follow His desires. Father destroy my will and substitute your will.

Psalm 130: 1-6

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

I you O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the Lord.

5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

This chapter has been on my mind for several days now. God keeps bring this back to me in conversions and events. You don’t fall in love you make the decision to love. It happens over time and experience. The only time we fall in love is when a father and mother see their child for the first time. Yet God is extremely different. He loves becuase that is what he is. That is what he has done forever and will continue to do. This is so different from me. I do not love easily but I am asking an all powerful God to change me and make me love. Amen

April 17, 2010

Yesterday I tired wanted to write a blog. Unfortunately, I had no clue what to write; I looked through all my personal notes and could not find anything to write on. Yet this morning doing a little personal worship it hit me what I should write about. The past few days a friend and I have been talking about different theological stances and different views people have on God. Just because humans have vastly different personalities, they tend to come to God in a different ways and even view Him differently.

Let me explain, personally when I worship God and study Him. I tend to focus more on God’s power, His strength, and His guiding hand. This comes from just what I enjoy to study and my different hobbies. I love the outdoors and enjoy studying it, exploring the world God has given us. When you are sitting on the edge of a 150-foot drop over looking the Grand Canyon or having seen lightning hit a massive 200 foot tall oak that has been there for at least a hundred years and incinerate the whole thing instantly hard not to see His power. Also, enjoy studying history and enjoy seeing how God has shaped the world so that He maybe glorified and see mankind redeemed to Him. These two hobbies have strengthened my view of His control of everything and His hand in my life. On the other hand, my mother tends to focus more on Gods healing touch, His love for her and His compassion. This makes sense a lot of sense because she has experienced many health problems and had some problems with family life and such.

There are two points that come to my mind when talking about this. One the way we focus a few of God’s traits shows to me the way God loves and pursues us. To me we each come to our relationship in Christ in several ways, your personal focus is just the after effect of how the Holy Spirit reaches us. The Holy Spirit wooed us by showing us and focusing on certain parts of God’s personality. He says to us is this is why I am great and should be in relationship with you. Taking time for each of us, calling us one by one, and using your personality and different circumstances to show His love. This is proof that He is not just a God sitting on His thrown wait for us to crawl to Him. He is actively pursuing us, showing us His love, and begging to be in relationship with him. Also proves to me is when God does anything its prefect nothing half done. He created the perfect analogy by creating marriage to show the relationship He wants with us. Plus to show how He pursues us by giving us an example that we know first hand. Secondly it bring a warning to me, if we contently focus on only one part of God its like a man only look at his wife’s beauty not trying or appreciating her strong mind, her loving spirit or anything else. If we never try to learn then we are not really growing in Christ or even trying to love Him. Personally it makes me want to pray Lord help me grow in you, focus on your whole character, and take away my pride in not loving you in this away.

April 5, 2010

Its been several weeks since I even wanted to write. Now I feel like I should write something. Though I have great theological thoughts no passages of scripture have jumped out at me, I feel the need to write. No clue where this is even going or if its going any where at all. I am not trying to mention any thing deeply theological or even anything deeply spiritual. Yet, I while not my purpose I will probably get their somehow; it’s just the way I think. The past few weeks has literally has felt like a roller coaster with me not quite in a seat so I am bouncing around and trying to hold on. Periods of some really good times, trying to figure out life right now this second, absolute frustration, and some sorrow with the wish to change past. With all this happening right where I am sitting, I have a strange peace about it all. I know with out a doubt that God is in control. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He knows whats going to happen and what is happening. Nothing happens without Him knowing and nothing catches Him off guard. He controls my and my friends future and how I will serve Him with my life and carrier. Yet even though I know this peace it does not help me from feeling the effects of this weird roller coaster of draining emotions and trying to figure out life right now this second. Honestly I am not really expecting it to get better for a while either just becuase stuff does not get figured out over night.

Well first thing first. The past few weeks I have been really struggling with what God’s calling in my life is. With out a doubt God is calling me to go back to school to finish of a degree. Yet the question is what degree? And where in the world is God calling me to? I am pretty positive that this coming fall I will be back in school. Majoring in History. Yet, the real question before me is where . To be back in school means I have to be able to pay for school. I will be getting aid from FASA. Unfortunately it will not be enough to pay for school all the way so I am going to have to take out loans. With this in mind, my father suggested that maybe I should find a cheaper a school. So, I am possibly moving this fall. Which is not really a big deal to me. The big deal is I am not sure if the major and the plan I have now is really what I am suppose to be doing. I am not sure if I am following Gods plan and that’s all I really want. So I sit here and wonder. The nice thing is that the other day at church; the sermon talked to me about how I need to follow God. Even if I have no clue what He really wants all I need is to be listening and willing to follow Him. He will be happy and pleased with that. So I am waiting.

On a total side note, how the heck are you suppose to repair a very close friendship that has been significantly hurt and damaged? Even worse how are you suppose to repair this close friendship when they won’t tell you anything. Even when you pissed them off and you feel like you have to walk on eggshells when one is around them. Since they won’t tell you anything you start to get the feeling that you should not even bother with the friendship anymore. Me randomly venting nothing big just frustration.

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

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I have no clue whats going to happen in the next few months. I am trying to accomplish several different things. Yet, I am seeking God’s will above all else. I really only want to follow Him. I pray that He shows His will to me. Regardless of what happens, my help comes from Y hova and I will trust in Him.

February 23, 2010

I promised my self I would not doe this but it’s happening. I am reading the book Justification by N. T. Wright. Usually, I do not like to give my take on them until I am fished with the book. Yet this time I am compelled to write on at least on this one part the struck me so profoundly. Basically the view of what really God’s master plan was and how it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Plus, what really Christ is and how much he means to us Christians and what he does for us know.

Through the Bible the basic them is God’s redemption of man kind. Litterly to bring back humanity to Him. This is something He promised has soon as we decided to step away from God, right has He confronted us about our sin His plan of redemption has basically been what history has culminated to. The birth, life death and resurrection of Jesus. Though we worship a God that is all-powerful and all-knowing, in a word El Shaddai, he makes sure that we can know him and see him regardless of our circumstance. He does this by hiding in plain sight. Literally every thing points to him and his plan of redemption creation, our own personal needs for communion, and history.

At the beginning of human recorded history God called out one man to him and to start the process of redemption and justification. He promised Abraham that his seed would be blessed, would be prosper to a huge nation and that he would be the line of redemption. God fulfilled part of this promise by creating the nation of Israel. Through the years and God kept his promise and renewed the contract with several of Abraham’s descendants and with the whole nation of Israel. As told in the middle of the Old Testament, Israel would not hold up their end of the convent and time and time again would walk way from God and worship other gods and slip into paganism. All through the bible regardless of how faithful Israel was God still called them his chosen people. No matter how many times they failed he was willing to forgive and bring them back to Him. All they had to do was ask for His forgiveness and follow him. He even promised that regardless of what they did the promised a the Redeemer, and the Messiah to save his people. His promise of redemption, of bring all of humanity, and of a Messiah. Came true when Jesus was born, lived a perfect life and died and rose again.

Now if you have grown up in church like me all your life then nothing I just said is nothing new at all. In fact, I would even go as far has saying this whole history is more familiar than even the history of our own country. Yet, the thing that littlery brought me to my knees in worship, blew my mind and brought me to breaking a promise to my self. Is this. God nature is one that whats us to be in perfect relationship with Him. His love will not let Him Just stand afar and watch us snub Him and bring our upon our own destruction. He stepped in and sacrificed him self for our good. He even hides in plain sight right where we can see Him and His great nature. He even works our own history so that it points to Him. One of the large points of Israel’s history is that it shows us God and his plan for redemption. The in essence whole thing is a huge metaphor of how Yahweh would bring us back to Him.

God choose a certain group of people has His people to show His love and character. The nation of Israel was partly a taste of what the church is now we have been redeemed. We are Gods people the ones he cares for, the one He is jealous for, the ones He sanctifies, and the one He has chosen to show His light to the world. This is truly one of the things that hit me hard; as I read N.T. Wrights book. As the metaphor goes, we are now part of Abraham’s blessed seed. This spook to me in two ways. One being that we are really Gods people and He does and will protect us. Just like all the miracles in the old testament, He will protect us with the same jealousy. Two God really does bring blessing on our life if we trust Him. He brought emmence blessing from Abraham through ways Abraham could never dream of. All Abraham had to do was trust God; this is exactly where I am all I need to do is trust God and He will guide my path. Now I totally believe that Gods is not done with His plan with Israel and they truly are still Gods chosen people. Yet, He truly controlled all of History to show His love, His nature and His plan of redeeming people back into His family in purely a simple way. Truly He is the all know the only wise God.

In following some wisdom, a good friend mention that I should keep my blogs kind of short so not to bore readers or take up to much of their time. So to be continued….